Device for operating electrically-illuminated signs.



Patented Oct. 3:, I899.

No. 636,02l.

w. T. BELL. v DEVICE FOR OPERATING ELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATED SIGNS.

(Applic-ltinn filed Oct. 19, 1898.)

2. Sheets-.Sheel -l (No Model.)

mm} .9. W J M N0. 636,02l. Patented 00L 3l, I899. W. T. BELL.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING ELECTBIGALLY ILLUMINATED SIGNS.

' (Applicatinn mm 0a.. 19, was.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM THOMSON BELL, OF NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR To THE UNIVERSALELECTRICAL ADVERTISING SYNDIOATE, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR OPERATING ELECTRlCALLY-ILLUMINATED SIGNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPiatent No. 636,021, dated October31, 1899.

Application filed October 19, 1898. serial N0. 693,949. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM THOMSON BELL, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at 64 Loughborough road, Nottingham,England, have invented new and useful Improved Means Applicable for Usein Operating Electrically-Illuminated Signs, Advertising Media, or theLike, (in respect whereof I have applied for a patent in Great Britainto bear date March 28, 1898, No. 7,467,) of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to apparatus for operatingelectrically-illuminated signs, advertising media, or the like, whereinletters,-

words, or other devices are depicted by means of a number ofincandescent electric lamps, the objects being to simplify theconstruction of such apparatus, to render its action more certain, andto prevent Sparking upon the making and breaking of the electriccircuit.

section of one of the contact-makers pertaining to the switchboard andwhereby each lamp is operated.

In carrying out my invention I arrange in the electric circuit ahorizontally-reciprocating and intermittingly-rotating drum or cylinderA, which at each forward movement operates a number Of contact-makers B,carried by a suitably-constructed switchboard O. The drum A ispreferably of rectangular cross-section and is carried at each end by,

trunnions a a, which are mountedin horizontal guides D D. To eachtrunnion is connected a thrust-bar d, furnished at its oppositeextremity with aroller d, which works in the groove 0 of the face-cam E,keyed on the main shaft F, thesebars being carried in guides 01 d*, orthe rollers (1 may each be caused to bear against a circumferential cammounted on the main shaft, springs being employed to effect their returnmovement. The cams E E are so formed as to advance the drum A toward theswitchboard O, and thus to operate the contacts B, the drum being thenheld in that position, so as to maintain the electric circuit for thedesired length of time. The cams ultimately cause or permit the drum toretreat, thus breaking the electric circuit upon the predetermined limitof time for such exposure being reached. The drum is provided at eachend with arms or projections 'a a a a, which engage with a tooth g onone arm of a weighted bell-crank lever G, the latter being pivoted in asupport g, mounted upon the guides D D or upon a pin secured in theframe of the machine. Thus during the outward movement of the drum theextremity of one of the arms at glides beneath the tooth g of thebell-crank lever G and passes the same, while during the retreat of thedrum the said arm is held captive by the tooth and the drum is rotated aquarter of a revolution. The overturning of the drum is prevented byhorizontal plates H H, arranged at each end of the drum and maintainedin contact with the lower arms a a by counterweighted levers I I,pivoted to the side frames, a pendent tailpiece h on each plate enteringa slot in the unweighted arm of each lever.

It is preferable that only one face of the drum be in the electriccircuit at one time, and to this end the drum is constructed in thefollowing manner: Upon a foundation A of insulating material are securedthe contactplates A A A A whence depend the contact-pieces A A A A,hereinafter more particularly referred to. By these means thecontact-plates A are entirely insulated from the other parts of themachine. The drum is furnished with cards K of the jacquard type,provided with perforations arranged to accord with the particularcontacts in the switchboard it is necessary to operate in order to bringinto operation the group of lamps which pertain to the particular deviceto be illuminated. The unperforated portions of the cards serve asinsulation for those contactswhich for the time being are required to beinoperative. The cards are preferably arranged upon a flexible carrier,and in order to accurately register each card upon the face of the drumthe latter is furnished with projections aiwhich engage withperforations near the ends of the cards. The contact-plates of the drummay be constructed of any suitable conducting material, such as brass,copper, platinum, or silver.

The switchboard is preferably arranged in a vertical plane and isfurnished with as many contacts as there are lamps on the lampboard. Thecontacts B are each constructed as follows: In the face of theswitchboard C is inserted a stud 1), preferably formed of brass. The endb of this stud which protrudes through the back of the board is formedas a terminal for the lamp-wire. The other end of the stud carries atubular casing or barrel D in which works aplunger b, the latter beingmaintained at the outer end of the tube by means of a coiled spring Z).The rod or tail b of the plunger protrudes through the outer or fore endof the tube 11 and serves to make contact with the surface of the drumor card-cylinder A wherever a perforation occurs in the card K, carriedby such cylinder. If the switchboard C be constructed of metal, thestuds must be suitably insulated. In the construction illustrated theswitchboard is made of slate. The plunger may be made of brass,copper,platinum, or silver. The outer or fore end of the tube 12 may besupported by a perforated plate C of suitable insulating material.

With a view to prevent sparking upon the breaking of the electriccircuit owing to the retreat of the drum or card cylinder A from thecontacts 13 on the switchboard O, I arrange upon the cam or actuatingshaft F a cut-out L, same being timed to slightly a11- ticipate thebreaking of the circuit caused by the drum retreating from thecontactmakers 13. This cut-out may comprise a disk or cam Z, arranged inthe main circuit and mounted upon the before-mentioned camshaft, thesaid cam being formed with a gap or depression Z in its periphery,furnished with a piece of non-conducting material. In the constructionillustrated the disk or cam is formed of wood or other suitable non-conducting material and comprises two flanges l Z upon which arerespectively secured the metal rings Z Z The ring Z is formed with anopening or gap, the material of the disk being cut away to correspond.\Vorking against rings Z 1 on the periphery of each of the flanges Z Zis a spring contact or brush M M, arranged in the main circuit. Thesebrushes are mounted in carriers on m, supported in the standard m m Thelatter are mounted on insulating material m the carriers being alsoinsulated from their standards. When the gap Z arrives at the brush M,the electric circuit is interrupted, the brush or contact resting for atime on the non-conducting material of which the main portion of the camis composed.

lVhen setting up the machine for Working, the main conductor N from thesource of electric energy is brought to the terminal m of the brush M, asimilar conductor N being led from the terminal m of the brush M. Thislatter Wire is divided at N the two branches N N being led to thespring-contact makers A A Each wire B from the contacts B is led to alamp on the lamp-board, the several lamps being connected to a commonreturn. It will thus be seen that the electric current upon entering themachine at M passes to the brush M, then through the branch wires N Ncontact-makers A A and one of the plates A to the contacts or pushes B,the current thereupon operating those lamps on the lam p-board whereofthe corresponding pushes or contacts B have been depressed by theforward thrust of the drum A and are in contact therewith.

It is proper to explain that the object in making the contacts Byielding to pressure is to insure good contact with the conductingplateon the drum and in order that they may accommodate themselves toinequalities in the surface of said plate and that produced by theperforated card. There is no make and break of the circuit produced byor due to this yielding of the contacts.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In a device for automatically operating electrically-illuminatedsigns and the like, the combination with an intermittently-rotating andhorizontally-reciprocating drum having on each of its several faces aninsulated contact-plate of conducting material, and avertically-disposed stationary switchboard carrying a series of yieldingcontact makers or terminals connected respectively with the lamps on thelamp-board, the said terminals in position to touch a contact-plate onthe drum when the latter moves up thereto, of a series of jacquard-cardsof insulating material about said drum and adapted to cover therespective contact-plates thereof and interpose between them and thecontact-terminals, means for closing the lamp-circuit through theoperating contact-plate, and means for automatically breaking thelamp-circuit a moment before the contact-plate moves out of touch withsaid contact-terminals.

2. In a device for automatically operating electrieally-illu minatedsigns and the like, the combination with the stationary switchboard C,provided with yielding contact-terminals B, and the rotatively-mounteddrum A, having on its respective faces imperforate contact-plates A ofconducting material, of the slotted guides D, in which said drum ismounted, the operating-cams E, the thrust-bars (Z, connecting the camswith the respective journals of said drum, and means for imparting anintermittent rotation to said drum as it is moved to and fro in itsguides, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device for automatically operating electrically-illuminatedsigns, the combina tion with the horizontally-reciprocating and.intermittently-rotating drum having imperforate contact-plates on itsrespective faces, and the stationary switchboard provided with a seriesof yielding contact-terminals,

of means for preventing sparking upon the,

breaking of contact between the contactplate on the drum and the saidcontact-terminals, said means comprising a rotating circuit-breakerwhich breaks the lamp-circuit at the moment before the said drumrecedes, substantially as set forth.

4. In a device for automatically operating electrically-illuminatedsigns and the like, the combination with the reciprocating andintermittently-rotating drum, having on its faces insulatedcontact-plates each having on it a contact-piece, as A, the fixedcontactpiece A adapted to contact electrically with the piece A when thedrum is moved into operative positions, the switchboard 0, provided withcontact-terminals as described, and an electric circuit including thesaid terminals, and the contact-pieces A and A whereby, when operating,only the operative contact-plate on the drum shall be included in thecircuit.

5. In a device for the purpose specified, the combination with thestationary switchboard O, provided with contact-terminals of therespective lamp-circuits, and the rotatably and slidably mounted drum A,provided on each of its several faces with an insulated contact-plateadapted to be put in contact with said terminals, of the rotating shaftF, means between said shaft and drum for converting the rotary motion ofthe former into reciprocating motion of the latter, an electric circuithaving the terminals on the switchboard 0 for one terminal, and theoperative contact-plate on the drum for the other terminal, and a rotarybreaker for said circuit at the shaft F, said breaker comprising a diskon the said shaft and two brushes in the circuit bearing thereon, saiddisk having a recess which breaks the circuit when it passes under thebrush, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM THOMSON BELL.

\Vitnesses:

THos. P. ELAM, E. G. TAYLOR.

